Windows 10: Free ESU Updates Now Run to October 12, 2027

Plenty of guides still say Windows 10 stops getting security fixes in October 2026. For home users, that is no longer true. On June 25, 2026, Microsoft quietly extended its consumer Extended Security Updates (ESU) program by a year, to October 12, 2027, as BleepingComputer spotted in an editor’s note and in Microsoft’s documentation.

What changes for you

• Windows 10 itself has been out of support since October 14, 2025; ESU only delivers critical and important security patches, no features and no tech support.
• If your PC is already enrolled, coverage continues automatically to October 12, 2027. Nothing to do.
• If not, you can still enroll at any time until that date, but you are exposed until you do.
• One ESU licence covers up to 10 devices on the same Microsoft account.

Free or $30?

According to Microsoft’s ESU page, in the European Economic Area enrolment is free if you sign in to Windows with a Microsoft account and keep using it. Stop signing in with it, and ESU updates pause after up to 60 days until you re-enrol. Prefer a local account? A one-time purchase of $30 (or local equivalent, plus tax) keeps you covered without staying signed in. Outside Europe, BleepingComputer lists two more free routes: backing up your settings to your Microsoft account, or redeeming 1,000 Microsoft Rewards points.

Who is eligible

• Windows 10 version 22H2: Home, Pro, Pro Education or Pro for Workstations, fully updated
• An administrator account (not a child account)
• Not joined to Active Directory or Microsoft Entra, and not managed by MDM (Entra-registered devices are fine); no kiosk devices

How to check your PC

Open Settings > Update & Security > Windows Update. Eligible PCs show an Enroll now link; enrolled ones show their ESU status there. If you bought ESU, the order also appears in your Microsoft order history.

Businesses: October 13 does matter

The extension is for personal devices. For organisations, paid commercial ESU Year 1 ends on October 13, 2026, which is also this month’s Patch Tuesday; Year 2 runs to October 12, 2027 and Year 3 to October 10, 2028, per Microsoft’s lifecycle FAQ.

The Rocks take

A free extra year is welcome, but it is a bridge, not a fix: check that ESU is really active in Windows Update this week, then use the time to plan a Windows 11 upgrade or a new PC.